Supernatural FanFlashwork Collection
by Charity Angel
Summary: A collection of the stories I have written for the Fan Flashworks community on LJ/DW. There may well be various characters/pairings along the way.
1. Music

_Written for Challenge #96 - Music. Takes place some time in Season 4._

_A/N: I was playing with POV for this one for a badge. I've been told it's a little confusing at first, but stick with._

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><p><span><strong>Music<strong>

I think it's the music that confuses him the most. The human myths of Heaven being filled with the songs of the angels aren't as far-fetched as you might imagine: Enochian is a harsh language when spoken through human vocal cords, but in its truest form it is extremely lyrical; even beautiful. My sons have been surrounded by the songs of their brothers from the moment of their creation. Only Michael and Lucifer remember what true silence is, and he is one of my youngest sons. He has heard music all his existence, even though he does not sing much himself.

But the music of the humans is nothing like that of Heaven. Angelic songs are either of love or war: for my sons, there is no other way of life, no other experiences. Humans sing of hope, of sex, of loss, of sorrow or even, recently, of hate. Their melodies are as unique as their creators. I enjoy the music of humans, because it tells me how much they have grown beyond what I created. The music of my sons saddens me now, because it has not changed. They know nothing of hope; what they know of sorrow and loss is confined to the knowledge that Lucifer is contained, kept apart from them.

Only two of my boys have learned to think for themselves. Gabriel regrets it every day, and masks his pain by playing elaborate tricks on the humans he deems to require re-education. And Castiel? Castiel is struggling, still learning what free will is, but he will learn because he is determined, and he has two excellent teachers. And, perhaps, one day, he might cease to be confused by the music Dean plays for him.


	2. Taste Test (Gabriel & Castiel)

_Written for Challenge #97 - Sweet & Sour (Gen, Castiel & Gabriel)_

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><p><strong><span>Taste Test<span>**

Gabriel was almost impressed, if he was honest. How Castiel was able to scowl at him through a blindfold he wasn't sure, but his little brother was managing it just fine.

"It tastes of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen."

Impressed went out the window. "No, no, no!" To take the sting out of his exasperated tone, Gabriel stroked Castiel's cheek gently. It wasn't his fault; it really wasn't. "You're concentrating too much. Or not enough, maybe: one or the other. Just… let your vessel do the work for you. Food is awesome, but you need to stop tasting all of it. Just… try relaxing."

"That is easier said than done," Castiel said, his voice dry. "Perhaps you would prefer to be the one being force-fed unknown substances whilst being deprived of the majority of your senses?"

Gabriel stared at him for a moment. This definitely was _not_ the same meek little kid he remembered from home. How had the Winchesters done this to him so quickly?

"Are you sassing an archangel, Castiel?"

There was a barely perceptible twitch of Castiel's forehead. Gabriel suspected he was raising his eyebrows.

"No," the kid said carefully, "I am 'sassing' a pagan trickster god."

Gabriel couldn't help himself – he laughed; something pure and joyous that he had not truly felt for a long time. And it had taken no effort on his part at all, only a little brother who had grown some balls over the last few thousand years.

"You can hardly blame me for being wary," Castiel continued once Gabriel quietened. "I recall your penchant for pulling wings."

"Oh, Cassie," Gabriel breathed, regaining control of his vessel and regarding his brother with unexpected tenderness. "Not you. Never you."

"Not after Sodom," Castiel agreed, his voice distant, pained by the memory.

Gabriel took his hand and pressed a kiss to Castiel's forehead gently. "No, not after that. You were too broken by it. I'm so sorry: I should never have taken you."

Castiel reached out and echoed Gabriel's earlier, tender action, running soft fingers over Gabriel's cheek. "I believe I understand why you did," he said. "You were not at fault. Now, I believe we were in the middle of an experiment?"

Gabriel slid the blindfold from Castiel's eyes, unbinding the senses that had been muted by the embroidered sigils on it. As Castiel blinked, Gabriel folded himself into Castiel's lap and hugged his brother tightly.

"Forget the experiment," he said, burying his head in Castiel's neck. "It was vinegar anyway; it would have been a nasty shock if you'd actually tasted it properly. I should never have taken you to Sodom, Cassie: I knew you were too sensitive. I nearly ruined humanity for you."

Castiel, once his initial surprise wore off, reciprocated, pulling Gabriel tightly to his chest. "But you did not," he said softly. "My love for them has not waned, and I have grown since then. Neither of us is the same as we were when we left Heaven."

There was a pause, a silence in which Gabriel wondered how his baby brother had ended up so much wiser than him; than any of their brothers. The seraphs had been right; Castiel had always been a bit different as angels went, but Gabriel had never thought of him as 'wrong' like they did: the kid was like him, that's all, but a far better, far more selfless creature than Gabriel would ever be.

"We are both here, now, because of the same reason we were chosen to go there then," Castiel said gently. "We see the best humanity has to offer, and wish to protect it."

"Hmm."

Damn, the kid was perceptive: that was _exactly_ the reason Gabriel had chosen Castiel. Had there been a single person worth saving in that city, Castiel would have found and rescued them. He had tried so, so hard to find the ten pure souls they needed to save the rest, and had wept bitterly when they had returned to Heaven. And now look at him: sitting here and comforting Gabriel over something they had done millennia ago.

"I forgave you long ago, brother," Castiel said, pulling on Gabriel's shoulders so that they could look each other in the eye. "Perhaps you should do the same, and forgive yourself."

The intensity in those blue eyes was hard to ignore, and Gabriel found himself compelled to nod in compliance as if he were the lower ranked of the two of them. "I'll try, brother," he said, finding his voice shakier than he would like. "In the meantime…" He picked up a square of chocolate from the selection of things he had been planning to feed to Castiel. "… try this."

Obediently, Castiel took the chocolate in his mouth and closed his eyes in concentration. "It… _OH_!"


	3. Self-Perpetuating Investments (Gabriel)

_Written for Challenge #97 - Sweet & Sour. Takes place sometime after 5x09 The Real Ghostbusters. (Gen, Gabriel)_

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><p><span><strong>Self-Perpetuating Investments<strong>

Surfing tumblr, Gabriel had to admit that, whilst this wasn't what he had expected when he invested in the prophet's works of 'fiction', it was so, so much better. He couldn't have asked for a better prank, to be honest: it was simple and completely self-perpetuating. Fangirls and Fangays were awesome; a force to be reckoned with.

The only thing that would make this more awesome would be to see the sour looks on the Winchesters' faces when they read the stories - Sassy and Destiel would cause shit-fits. Sweet, sweet victory.


	4. Ghosts of the Past (Bobby)

_Written for Challenge #98: Haunted. Takes place during 7x17 The Born-Again Identity._

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><p><span><strong>Ghosts of the Past<strong>

It wasn't a word that Bobby liked to use in this context, because of the other, more literal definition, but his boys were haunted by their past. Sam was falling apart right in front of him and there wasn't a damned thing he could do about it. They were reaching a point where there wasn't even anything Dean could do to keep Sam's sanity intact – Lucifer was winning that fight even from his prison cell, and Sam had stopped trying to sleep days ago.

As for Dean, he was still hiding the effects of his trip to the basement, sure, but that kid had seen a horror that Sam would never know about: he had seen their mother on the ceiling. That had taken _years_ for Bobby to get out of the kid, and even then only with the promise he would never tell John or Sam. He had taken that secret to the grave, and had no intention of giving it up now.

But neither of those things were what was bothering Dean the most now. For now, even with Sam locked up, there was something else – some_one_ else – on Dean's mind. Castiel had wormed his way so innocently and efficiently under Dean's skin that Bobby knew he still had nightmares about the day Cas had died; nightmares that Dean would deny brought him to tears, but Bobby knew otherwise.

And so he helped the only way he could, gave Dean the clue he needed to find the faith healer Emmanuel. It cost him days of awareness, but he figured it was worth it. Until he popped back into being and saw the damn angel being shut in Sam's room. Cas, plagued by his poor decisions (admittedly, Cas had made some _really_ crappy choices recently), had decided that he deserved this. And there was another image to haunt Dean's nightmares: Castiel, sitting placidly and completely unaware in a padded cell, a target for angels, demons and Leviathan alike. Helpless, just like Bobby; so helpless he couldn't even see the ghost in their midst, watching over his three boys.


End file.
